Readjusting
by reaper with no name
Summary: The Maximals return to Cybertron and try to re-adjust to normal life. But war has a way of making that difficult.
1. Homecoming

Rhinox

Maximal Command was understandably shocked at our appearances when we finally reached Cybertron. Instead of the Axalon, we came back in an Ark shuttle. Instead of the protoforms that left Cybertron, a small and motley collection of half-organic transformers returned. And instead of the rebellious Predacon general, we brought back a dragon.

As Megatron was taken away, we were immediately ushered into a briefing room. Not surprising. They had a lot of questions. Unfortunately, the answers only brought more questions. Eventually, they just gave up and asked Optimus to summarize everything that had happened. He did so as best as he could, skipping as many unimportant details as he could for the sake of brevity. However, it still seemed to take decacycles.

Try as I might, I couldn't listen to it forever. My gaze eventually shifted to my comrades. Cheetor was fidgeting in his seat, seemingly ready to explode from all his pent-up energy. He never was the patient type, and finally being back on Cybertron didn't help. Ratrap wasn't faring much better. Silverbolt and Blackarachnia were sitting shoulder to shoulder. The latter looked so bored she was about to fall asleep, and the former was closely examining everything around him with a smile on his face, as if every inch of the room was a new wonder to behold.

I sat back and relaxed, thinking about all the things that I'd do now that we were back on Cybertron. To everyone else, we were only gone for an orbital cycle or two (most of it spent on the return trip; Cheetor ended up miscalculating on the navigation). But to us, it had been well over a stellar cycle. It was a bit strange how nothing had really changed.

I eventually figured out that I'd likely be spending the next few cycles just uploading all the data we'd obtained about Earth during the wars. That is, in between explaining to scientists the new technology we'd discovered and the new bodies most of us had gotten. Come to think of it, that would probably end up coming first. I started wondering what I was going to say when they inevitably asked me about the Vok.

Finally, it ended. The exhaustion on Optimus' face just from telling the story helped communicate to our superiors just how trying an ordeal we had been through.

The senior officer stood. Even he seemed off-balance from the enormity of what our mission ended up becoming. "Well…" he started, looking around at the assortment of tired and impatient faces, "I think it's clear that there are a lot more questions to be answered here, but you all look like you've been through a war-"

"Heh, understatement of the century," Ratrap interjected.

Optimus glared at him, and the officer continued. "-And I think you've earned a little rest. We'll pick it up again tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll have someone escort each of you to your temporary quarters. And stay on base for the time being." He looked at Ratrap and Cheetor as he said that last part. "Dismissed."

* * *

Cheetor

Optimus breathed a sigh of relief as the big wigs left the room, as if a huge weight was taken off his shoulders. Rhinox patted him on the back.

"Good job."

"Well, I hope so. The more of this we get out of the way now, the less we'll have to deal with it later. I'd like to get back to normal life as soon as possible."

"What is normal life anymore?" I wondered aloud. "I mean, we've been shredding preds so long that it feels kind of weird to not have to do it anymore."

"Eh, you'll get used to it," Ratrap said as he leaned back in his chair. "Who knows? You might even find that you like it. I know I will."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." After all, I'd done it once before. How hard could readjusting be?

Just then, several bots entered the room. Their body structures indicated that they were the guides who would take us to our rooms. Some of them were very attractive femmebots, too. And speaking of attractive femmebots…

I chanced a look back at Blackarachnia. Hopefully, she wouldn't catch me. She still threatened to vape me whenever I looked at her the wrong way.

Luckily for me, she was distracted by the yellow femmebot trying to convince Silverbolt to come with her. The poor guy looked trapped, unwilling to leave Blackarachnia's side, but not wanting to hurt the young femmebot's feelings either.

Blackarachnia resolved the issue by stepping between the two so that she was face to face with the young Cybertronian woman and bluntly stating "Back off, blondie. He's with me."

"But-"

Blackarachnia's glare ended that conversation. Grabbing Silverbolt's arm, she led him towards the male guide who was waiting to lead them to her room.

A tap on my shoulder caused me to turn around. Ratrap was there, gesturing towards the two male bots waiting for us. Man, I was hoping for one of the femmebots. After all, I was a hero now, right? And women dig heroes.

But I still followed the two guides along with Ratrap out and down a corridor. We passed by some windows, and I couldn't help but stare through them to the world outside. It seemed so unreal.

"Man! Can you believe this?" Ratrap complained. "We finally get back to Cybertron, and now we gotta spend Primus knows how long in this dump?"

One of the guides glared back at Ratrap. "Eh, no offense," Ratrap added.

This seemed to satisfy the guide, and we continued on.

"Yeah, but just think about it, Ratrap," I said. "After we get through this, we'll be free to go do whatever we want."

Ratrap shrugged. "Eh, I guess that's true."

"So, what are you gonna do after this?" I asked.

"Oh, now that's an easy one!" Ratrap perked up. "I'll be goin' to my favorite bar to get a drink and a nice femmebot who ain't afraid to…say, lose some armor plates?" He nudged my shoulder with his elbow. I chuckled. Same old Ratrap.

"So, uh…What about you, spots?" Ratrap asked.

"Huh…" I responded. "Haven't really thought about it much. I guess I wasn't really expecting it to be over."

"Well, what about that amusement park or whatever it was that you wanted to drag me off to?"

"Why? You want to go?" I grinned.

"Don't push it, kid."

"Well, honestly, I used to love that place. But now that I think about it…With all the stuff we've done, an amusement park just doesn't seem that exciting anymore."

"Yeah, plus you can fly. Who needs rides when you've got a rocket on your back, right?"

"Heh, good point."

"We're here," one of the guides reported. "This will be your temporary living space, Mr…"

He looked at me, trying to come up with something to refer to me as. It hit me then that he didn't know my name. After all, most of us hadn't chosen our current names until we gained our beast forms.

"Call me Cheetor," I responded as coolly as I could. I wanted to make an impression.

Ratrap shook his head. "Ok, Mr Dashing Hero, I'll see ya tomorrow."

And with a slight wave of his hand, Ratrap and the guides left me to look over my new room.

* * *

Optimus Primal

The next few days consisted of more in-depth briefings where each one of us gave more detailed accounts of specific events. At first, the high council wanted to keep things under wraps, but after a couple of days they changed their minds and began disclosing things to the public (once they were sure they had their facts straight).

That's why the six of us were sitting in a lounge watching a television news story about us.

"And that's as much as we've been told up to the present time. Currently, the heroic crew of the Axalon is undergoing a long debriefing at the Ironhide Global Starport," the anchorbot reported. "We will bring you updates on this story as they become available."

"Heh-hey! Hear that, guys? We're heroes!" Ratrap cried exuberantly.

"Sh!" Blackarachnia responded. "We're trying to listen, mouse."

"In related news," a different reporter began, "The captured Terrorist known as Megatron has been taken to a maximum security prison to await trial as prosecutors gather evidence and prepares their cases. The location of this prison is of course classified for security reasons. The Tripedicus Council, the highest Predacon governing body, has denied any involvement in Megatron's attempted rebellion. However, investigators says that they have evidence to the contrary, and that they will be looking into possible connections between the two parties."

"So, do you think they'll be able to take down the Tripedicus Council?" Cheetor asked.

"Most likely not," I admitted. "While we can prove that Ravage and Tarantulas were each employed by the Tripedicus Council and tried to alter history, we don't have the means to prove that they did it under the Council's orders."

"They'll just say those two acted on their own, without the Council's consent," Rhinox noted.

"Nevertheless," Silverbolt noted. "The Maximal High Council now knows the true intentions of the Tripedicus Council."

"Yes, Silverbolt," I added. "They will no longer be able to plot against the Maximals without drawing suspicion. And when Tarantulas' actions become public, even the Predacons won't trust the Tripedicus Council."

Just then, the intercom system came on. "Rhinox, report to briefing room 3."

He stood. "Well, that's my cue. They want to know more about these transmetal bodies of ours." He sighed. "This one's gonna take a while."

"We'll keep you posted on what happens out here," I assured him.

"Knock 'em dead, big guy!" Ratrap added as Rhinox left.

That word brought back unpleasant thoughts. Dinobot lying helpless before me, with noting I could do to save him. Depth Charge's parts floating up to the surface, only to sink back down beneath the waves. The second Dinobot wishing me well, just before the explosion took him.

And Tigerhawk…I don't even know how he died. In a way, that was even worse. Instead of seeing one death, I saw many. Missile impacts tearing away his armor and circuitry. Fusion cannons vaporizing him. Megatron and other Predacons standing over his burnt remains. The possibilities were endless. As horrible as the idea was, I wish we had found his body, if only to remove some of those scenarios from my mind.

I stood. "I'm going to go take a walk."

I needed to get out and clear my head. I changed to beast mode and lumbered out, hoping my gorilla instincts would help me deal with my thoughts. Or, at the very least, distract me from them.

"What's wrong with Big Bot?" I could hear Cheetor whisper as I left.

* * *

Author's Note: This story ignores Beast Machines because, well, it made no sense. The plot had more holes in it than swiss cheese and it flat-out contradicted many things established in Beast Wars. Call it AU if you want, but it sure fits better than that sorry excuse for a sequel.


	2. Funerals

Silverbolt

Megatron's trial came and went. We all testified, but there was no need. It was an open and shut case from the start. Megatron was found guilty of treason, grand theft of government property, unauthorized use of transwarp travel, attempted revision of history, attempted coup of the government, violation of the Autobot-Decepticon Non-Aggression Treaty, insubordination, conspiracy to conquer, resisting arrest, assault on an officer of the law with a deadly weapon, battery, violation of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Act, slavery, reprogramming of Maximal Protoforms, illegal experimentation, abuse of subordinates, attempted murder, murder, attempted genocide, and a speeding ticket. Cheetor and Ratrap found the last charge amusing.

Cybertron hadn't used the death penalty in centuries, so it was no surprise when Megatron was sentenced to permanent imprisonment. He would spend the rest of his days alone in a cell somewhere. Even that seemed too good for him, but at least justice has been served.

Almost immediately after the trial ended came the funerals. It was our first public appearance since our arrival, and it showed. The moment we stepped outdoors, we were bombarded by reporters and those people Cheetor called our "fans". Masses of them swarmed at the crowd control, barely held at bay by security. Cheetor and Ratrap seemed to revel in it, and frequently stopped to give fans their energy signature. Optimus and Rhinox seemed somewhat uncomfortable (thank Primus I wasn't the only one). My beloved, however, actively scorned the people gathered. That only made them try harder to get her attention.

"Silverbolt! Over here!" came a voice to my side. I turned to find a female Maximal at the front of the crowd. Even though she was shouting, I could barely hear her over the roar of the masses. "I'd like to ask you a question! Just one!"

Well, that seemed fair enough. Still, I felt that I would soon regret this decision as I stepped towards her. "Yes?" I half-shouted over the crowd.

"Are you currently seeing anyone?"

It appeared I had been correct. The question caught me off-guard. "Um…"

I was unsure of how to answer. Should I tell this female I did not know of my undying love for the black widow mere feet from me? I could not simply say nothing, could I?

"…Well, actually…" I started.

However, the sentence was never completed, because just then a robotic foot stepped on mine. Not hard enough to do any real damage, but hard enough to hurt a little.

"Oh, Silverbolt, I'm so sorry!" Blackarachnia apologized in a concerned voice. Too concerned. I looked to her eyes and could see that behind the façade, there was anger. The message was clear.

"Oh, no, it's quite all right. I am undamaged," I replied. As she continued on, I turned back to the female Maximal who had asked me the question.

"So, actually… I am not at liberty to say," I answered. "My apologies."

I quickly made my way to the waiting hovercraft and climbed in. Most of the others were already seated, and I took my place next to my beloved. Ratrap and Cheetor soon joined us, having finally finished with the fans.

"Don't you ever do anything like that again," Blackarachnia snapped.

"Why not?" I asked. "What is the harm?"

"I don't want people knowing we're together," she explained. "The media is in enough of a frenzy over this as it is. Imagine how bad it would be if they suddenly had a new pop-culture relationship to follow as well!"

I sighed. "As you wish."

We soon arrived at the memorial site. A few of us had decided to give eulogies for the departed. Cheetor was up first. He seemed nervous as he approached the podium, but that soon gave way to sadness as he looked out to the endless crowds of mourners.

"Tigatron and Airazor were more than just my friends and comrades," he began. "They were like family to me. Tigatron always used to call me Little Cat, and I'd call him Big Cat. And Airazor was brought on-line using my locking chip."

He hesitated for a moment, and then continued. "They were the youngest among us, but they also turned out to be the wisest. They always were more in touch with their beast mode sides than the rest of us were. When the preds stole our ship's energon shielding device, and our beast mode instincts started taking over because we were staying in beast mode too long, it was Tigatron and Airazor who showed us that blocking our beast mode instincts was a mistake, and that only by embracing them could we achieve our true potential."

"Like I said, they always were wiser than the rest of us. When the rest of us were sitting in our base in robot mode, they were out in the wild in beast mode, scouting and enjoying all the beauty Earth had to offer. They loved the Earth, and they loved each other too."

His voice lowered a bit. "But then the Vok took them. I tried to save them, but I just wasn't fast enough. We didn't see them again for a long time, and when they did come back, it wasn't the way we expected. The Vok changed them; fused them into one person. But boy, could their new form kick pred butt. He could even harness the forces of nature itself as a weapon! Yeah, it felt good to see Megatron and his flunkies get shredded, along with their base. But even better than that was the fact that Tigatron and Airazor were home. I gave him the name Tigerhawk, and he liked it. Right then, I knew things were looking up. Tigatron and Airazor were back, the pred base was history, and the war seemed all but won."

Cheetor's smile sank then. "But I was wrong. Megatron found the Nemesis. Depth Charge died trying to stop it, and even Big Bot couldn't do anything against it. That's when Tigerhawk told Optimus to go back and prepare us. Tigerhawk said he would hold back the Nemesis as long as he could. And he did. He slowed it down. Tigerhawk took on the most powerful Decepticon warship in history, and he managed to stall it. But it came at a heavy cost."

Cheetor now looked to be on the verge of tears. "They had just come back to us, and they died. They were…No, they ARE heroes!" His voice picked up suddenly.

"Tigatron and Airazor gave their lives to protect us and the planet they loved! And now…"

His voice softened. "…They're together in the matrix, watching over both Earth and Cybertron. That's the way they died, that's the way they're being mourned today, and that's the way they'll be remembered until the end of time."

Cheetor quietly stepped down from the podium. Even though I had never gotten the chance to really know Tigerhawk, I felt that I could relate to Tigatron somehow. Perhaps it was his sense of honor and morals. Or perhaps it was the love that he had shared with his lady.

I looked to my beloved. The speech had obviously affected her, but she tried to hide it.

"Did you know them?" I asked her.

"Not really," she answered, as if it was nothing.

"And yet you still care."

"I don't…'care', I just…I don't want that to happen to us," she whispered.

"You needn't worry, my love," I whispered proudly. "The war is won, the violence has ended. Good has prevailed. Nothing can tear us apart now…"

As I spoke, I slowly moved to put my arms around her, but she stopped me. "Ah ah ah. Not here, Rover."

I sighed. Being discreet about our relationship was definitely not going to be easy.

Ratrap

I didn't hear most of Cheetor's speech. I tried to listen; I really did. After all, I liked stripes and Ms Feathers as much as the next bot. But I just couldn't keep my mind off the eulogy I had volunteered to give later on. Eh, well, they'd forgive me. After all, it wasn't like this whole shebang wasn't being recorded.

But, now that it was over, the big guy was next up. Now, I know for a fact that there was not a single smile in the crowd, but Optimus' frown put everybody else's to shame. It looked like Cheetor's speech really crushed him. But, like he always did, he put on a stiff upper lip as he approached the podium.

"Depth Charge," he began. "Was the most driven individual I have ever met. When Protoform X, or Rampage, destroyed colony Omicron, Depth Charge became obsessed with finding and destroying him. That search led him through an anomaly to Earth, and right into the middle of the Beast Wars."

"When he first met us, he refused to join the fight, and insisted on hunting down Rampage, even after we showed him the Ark. But eventually, he came to realize that the Beast Wars were bigger than him and his obsession, and he finally fought besides us."

Optimus hesitated for a moment before going on. "But then, Megatron found the Nemesis. It was lying dormant deep beneath the sea. Depth Charge was the only one who could reach it. I asked him to put aside our differences for the greater good, and he did. He followed Megatron to the Ark and gave his life trying to stop the Nemesis from taking off."

"But…" That's about the time Optimus nearly lost his composure. But like the stubborn monkey he was, he kept going. "But when I saw Depth Charge's parts floating to the surface, I saw that he wasn't alone. The remains of Rampage were right beside him. Depth Charge had gone down fighting, and took his enemy down with him. In death, Depth Charge finally succeeded in his mission."

Optimus seemed almost on the verge of tears now. "May his spark find in the Matrix the peace that eluded him in life."

And Optimus stepped down. Slag, I wasn't ready!

As I slowly trudged towards the podium, I found myself being bothered again by the same questions that had haunted me since I decided to do this thing. What could I say? Could I really tell them the truth? The whole truth? Was I really ready to blemish his name, just because he had told me to leave nothing out of his story? It wasn't like he was here to care anymore, right? But then again, could I really break my promise to him?

The podium came up way too fast. Instead of going behind it, I stood next to it and rested my elbow on it, trying to seem nonchalant. Everyone was looking at me expectantly.

Slag. I really didn't have a choice, did I? Maybe this was how old Lizard Lips felt when he decided to take on all those preds by himself.

I sighed. It was times like this that I envied those heartless hunks of junk.

"I almost never called him by his real name," I started. "It was always 'Dino-Butt' or 'Lizard Lips', or my personal favorite, 'Chopper-Face'. And to him, I was always 'Rodent' or 'Vermin'. He was violent, had no sense of humor, was always angry, and often he was just plain rude."

"We first met him at the very start. He said he'd left the preds and wanted to join us as our leader. So he challenged Optimus to an old-fashioned duel. A'course, Megatron crashed that party. But from then on, Chopper-Face was one of us. And let me tell ya, I was not happy about that, not one bit. I didn't trust that prehistoric pred any further than I could blast 'im. And I made sure he knew it. The two of us, pardon my pun, fought like animals. Yep, those were the days…"

"But for all of Lizard Lips' faults (and believe me, there were a lot), he did have some good traits. You could always depend on 'im to put a hurtin' on any pred ya let him loose on. He's also the only pred I ever met with a sense of honor. He always preferred the direct, violent approach. He hated having help when he was in a fight, and hated having unfair advantages even more. Now, personally, I'd put that in the fault column, but I'm told it's a good thing. Me, I prefer bein' clever. But Dino-Butt could do that too when he needed to. That is, when he wasn't too busy complaining about our 'Maximal sentiments'."

I gulped. Now was the time. "But eh, as much as we tried, we were never really able to make him feel like he fit in. And it didn't help that he had become convinced that old Megs was going to win and there was nothing we could do about it. And he always said that even if we did win, there was nothing waiting for him back here except the life of a pred traitor. So, he decided to do the only thing that made sense to him: go back to the Predacons."

My eyes fell. There were a few audible gasps from the crowd. I'd said it. Now, I had to salvage his reputation.

"By that time…Well, I won't say I liked him, but…I had kinda gotten used to having the lugnut around. When Megs ordered Dino-Butt to slag me, I really thought that was it for this small furry mammal. But…He couldn't do it. He thought he didn't fit in with us, but he was wrong, because we'd changed him somehow. He wasn't just a cold-blooded killer anymore. So he turned on Megs again. But the damage was done. I didn't trust him again after that. And I regretted it, 'cause of what happened next."

"Now, Megatron was always a bit looney, but this was the point where he really started to lose it. He blew up this mountain to see if he could change the future, and it worked. So, he decided to slag the human race before it could evolve, and y'know, change the outcome of the Great War."

"Chopper-Face saw it all. Optimus told him to wait for backup, but he insisted there was no time. I knew even before we got there what to expect. I mean, Chopper-Face against six preds? His parts were gonna be all over the valley. But when we got there, he'd beaten all six of 'em, and saved everyone in the valley. But he'd overridden stasis lock to do it. And he died there, right in front of us."

Silence. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. I didn't look up to find out.

"But that wasn't the end. Like I said, Megs was freaking crazy. He was doing weird experiments and who knows what else. In one of 'em, he cloned Chopper-Face and tried to take all the Maximal outta him. But even that wasn't enough, 'cause when everything hit the fan at the end, it was Dino-Butt's clone who gave us the shuttle we used to kick Megs' butt and come back home. But doing that got 'im killed, too. He didn't just die for us once, he died for us twice! Not a lotta guys in the history tracks that can say that, eh?"

I had tried to cover myself by sounding nonchalant at the end, but it didn't seem to have worked. Slag.

"Now, you might be wondering why I'd risk making Dinobot look bad at his funeral. And believe me, I was sorely tempted to leave that part out. But, when he died the first time, the last thing he said to me was 'Tell my story to those who ask. Tell it honestly; the ill deeds along with the good. And let me be judged accordingly. The rest is silence.' "

Oh, great. Now he'd somehow gotten me to be honest. Freakin' Chopper-Face.

"So, I did. To me, he more than made up for his mistakes. And if any of ya disagree, I'll blast ya myself, capeesh?" I held up my gun for emphasis.

I left it at that and stepped down. I don't remember how the crowd reacted. But, I had nothin' else to say. I had been hoping this whole thing would be a load off my circuits. No such luck for this rat.

"Freakin' Chopper-Face…" I muttered.


	3. Problem Solving Day

Blackarachnia

Ratrap's little speech and the way he ended it set off some very interesting data tracks in the tabloids. However, the headline was still always Silverbolt.

"-According to the poll, Silverbolt is now officially the most eligible bachelor on Cybertron," a femmebot on television reported. "But is he really single? With us today is celebrity relationship expert Digit. Digit?"

The camera zoomed out to show another maximal sitting next to her.

"Thank you, Cylindra. I'm convinced that Silverbolt does indeed have a significant other."

"Really?"

"Yes. Look at what happened when one of your reporters attempted to ask that very thing."

A clip played of the event from a couple days ago. Wow. She didn't remember stepping on his foot that hard.

"You see, he was hesitant to answer, and when he did, it was a cop-out one. As we have all learned, he is ordinarily a confident and forthright individual. There's really no other explanation that makes sense."

"So, any thoughts on who his mystery girlfriend might be?"

"It could potentially be someone he met upon returning to Cybertron, however I think it's far more likely to be Blacka-"

I switched it off. Slag. Even if only one percent of Cybertron could see this, that would still be far, far too many people knowing.

How dare they pry into our lives like this?! This was no concern of theirs. Our lives belonged to us, and no one else. They had no right. Bowser belonged to me, not them; just as I belonged to him and him alone.

"Blackarachnia?"

"What?!" I screeched. Too late I noticed who it was.

"Um…Sorry," Silverbotl apologized. "You…Looked like you had something on your mind."

"Oh, don't worry about it."

"If there's something you need to talk about, I am always here for you, my love."

"…Rover…Some of them suspect," I told him. "We need to be more careful."

His wings drooped. "As you wish. But tell me, why does it matter?"

I was getting tired of being asked this. "I told you already. The paparazzi would be all over us, even more than they are now."

"But why should we let that matter? Why should that affect how we treat each other in public?" he pressed.

"Because it annoys me, all right?! If you really want someone to be all lovey-dovey with in public, then maybe you should find someo-"

I slapped my hands over my mouth to prevent myself from finishing that sentence. Even I was shocked by the words issuing forth from my lips. I must have been losing my mind. Or at least control of my speech circuits.

"…Bowser, I didn't mean…"

But the damage had already been done. He looked more hurt than that time I shot him.

"The only lady I desire is you, my love," he whispered before walking away.

I reached out in desperation, but he was already too far away. I should have gone after him. I should have apologized. For both times I yelled at him. But I felt paralyzed. The best thing in my entire existence was walking away, and I was powerless to stop it.

* * *

Cheetor

It'd been several orbital cycles since we'd been back, but this fast cat was already out of stuff to do. Sure, it was fun to be back at first, but there was only so much you could catch up on when you'd only been gone an orbital cycle or two.

The public appearances were great, of course. The kids really seemed to like me. But as much as I hated to admit it, Cybertron had become…Boring.

So there I was, flying around, exploring. It's not like there was much else to do. Plus, the view of the city's lights was cool, and it was nice and quiet up in the sky. Well, except for those energy blasts.

Wait, energy blasts?!

I flew down towards where the sounds came from, and discovered a store surrounded by Cybertronian police. Someone inside was taking potshots at them.

"Well, well, must be a hostage situation if they're not shooting back," I noted to myself. "Looks like they could use a hand."

I came in high and landed on top of the roof, making sure I wasn't seen by anyone inside. After what I'd been through in the Beast Wars, this would be a piece of cake.

I put my paw against the door panel, and to my surprise the door opened. The criminals hadn't locked it.

"Looks like they weren't expecting a flying cheetah."

I stealthily made my way through the store. There wasn't much to hide behind, but I was quick enough to compensate.

"Come on, where are the…Ah!"

My nose picked up the scents of several maximals and predacons in a room not far away. I crept carefully towards it and listened.

"How much longer is Epsilon going to shoot at them? I think they already got the message."

"I don't know, man, but I'm sure not gonna try to stop him. You know how he is."

Ok. Two bad maximals. And at least one other hostile. But I'd worry about him later.

I sprang into action, rounding the corner and taking down the first guy with a few swipes of my claws. The other reached for the gun at his side, but didn't even get halfway before joining his buddy on the floor.

"Don't bother getting up," I said. "You guys are way out of your league."

I transformed and untied the hostages. One of them, a young maximal girl, looked at me wide-eyed. "Are you…?"

I flashed her a confident smile. "yep, the one and only."

She was starstruck. "But…How?"

"Well, I just happened to be in the neighborhood. Say, you wouldn't happen to know if there's any more people I need to save around here, would you?"

Another of the hostages, an older predacon, spoke up. "They kept us all together. There are three of them, counting the two you just dispatched."

The others nodded.

"Thanks." I handed the crooks' blasters to a couple of the hostages that looked trustworthy. "Make sure our guests don't run off now, ok? This party's just getting started!"

I returned to beast mode and went back to the hunt. The sounds of blaster fire made it very easy to track the third suspect. I was surprised he hadn't run out of ammo yet, actually, considering that his gun was almost identical to the one I had when the Beast Wars started. In fact…

"Cheetor, maximize," I whispered before turning the corner to meet my quarry. His back was to me.

"Ahem."

The surprised maximal whirled around. "Who the slag are you?!"

"I'm your worst nightmare."

"Tch. I doubt it. Goodbye."

His finger pulled back on the trigger, but by the time the shot left the barrel, I was already two feet to the side. Frustrated, he fired again. But again, he was just too slow.

"Dodge to the left!" I taunted as I sidestepped another blast. "Dodge to the right!"

"Stay still, slaggit!"

The crook pulled the trigger again, but nothing happened. I grinned and stepped towards him.

"See, one of the lessons you learn in a warzone is to never waste your ammo. Another is to shoot where your target's gonna be, instead of where he is."

The now-frightened crook pulled a knife, but I was ready. I dodged the first thrust and quickly disarmed him.

"They never learn, do they?"

As I stood over the defeated bot and waved at the crowd outside the window, I couldn't help but notice that I felt good about what I had just done. Better than I'd felt since returning to Cybertron. It was exhilarating to be a hero.

And then it hit me. This was what I wanted. This was what my life had been missing since I came back to Cybertron. I wanted excitement and the chance to help people. It was why I joined the crew of the Axalon in the first place.

As the police finally entered to store to take over, I wondered if they were accepting applications.

* * *

Rhinox

The longer I was here on Cybertron, the less it felt like home. Back on Earth, I always remembered Cybertron as a great place. Now I realized why: selective memory. I'd forgotten how overcrowded and noisy it was. The whole planet was a sprawling metropolis. You barely had room to move around, let alone enough room to enjoy yourself or truly relax. And while Cybertron did have much to see and do, two things it didn't have were flora and fauna. It made me wish I still had that potted plant.

My reverie was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in. Door's unlocked," I responded.

And in walked Blackarachnia.

"Rhinox, I need some advice."

"Relationship problems?" I asked, though I already knew that to be the case. Those two had been arguing over something almost constantly since we got back.

"How did you know?"

"Sit down, sit down," I instructed, pointing to the bed. She closed the door and did as I asked. "Now, tell me all about it."

One short summary later, I knew the whole story. I probably could have guessed the gist of it myself, though.

"Sounds like someone needs to step back and look at the big picture," I noted.

"I know, right?" Blackarachnia responded. "He can be so hard-headed sometimes! For some reason he seems incapable of understanding that-"

I held up my hand to silence her. "I was talking about you."

"What?! ME?!" She was genuinely shocked. This wasn't going to be easy.

"You love Silverbolt, don't you?"

"Yes, of course I do!" she snapped, as if the question itself was insulting.

"Have you ever told him?"

"What? Of course I have! Just last week I…Well, no, I…But then there was that time where…Wai, no, I didn't tell him then either…"

Her eyes widened. "I've…Never told him."

"How many times has he told you?"

"…More times than I can count."

"How much do you care what people think of you, really?" I pressed. "How much will the tabloid coverage really affect you?"

She sighed. "Not that much, I guess. But, still…"

"Which do you care about more? Silverbolt, or what people think?"

"Silverbolt," she answered without hesitation.

"Is keeping the tabloids away really worth suppressing your love for him every time the two of you are in public?"

"…"

"Well?" I waited.

"…No, it's not. Nothing is worth that," she finally answered. Then she stood up suddenly. "What am I doing sitting here?! I need to tell him!"

I shrugged. "I don't know. If I were you, I'd be gone already."

"Thanks, Rhinox," she gave me a small smile before quickly leaving.

I watched her practically run down the hall and chuckled. Then I went back inside and returned to reading the day's news tracks. I was hoping that it would help distract me from my own problems. Suddenly, a particular piece of information in the classified section caught my attention.

"Jeez…Is this problem-solving day or something?"


	4. Conclusion

Ratrap

I had always loved this bar. Before the whole "Beast Wars" thing, I used to always come here after a hard day's work to unwind. It was a great stress reliever. The energon booze was good, the bartenders were friendly, and the ladies were guaranteed to be satisfactory.

But this night was different. No matter how much I drank, I couldn't get Chopper-Face out of my skull. He didn't deserve what happened to him. He should have been there right beside me, drinking himself into stasis lock.

"Hey there, handsome."

I looked over and found that an attractive young maximal had seated herself next to me. "Want to buy me a drink?"

Ordinarily, I would have jumped at the chance I had just been given. But tonight I was just not in the mood. I had come here to forget; not pick up femmebots.

"Eh, not right now. I got a lot on my mind. Maybe next time."

"Hmph!" The femmebot stood up and walked off. Looks like I'd offended her. Oh, well; there'd be others.

"By the Matrix…Now I've seen everything!" the bartender exclaimed. "Ratrap turning down a lady? That war must have been even more brutal than I thought!"

"Shut yer trap, Boozy," was the only retort I could come up with. But Boozy was right. I wasn't myself tonight.

"Does this have something to do with that friend of yours? The one that died?"

"Owh…Ya mean da traytar?" a nearby drunken bot interjected. "What waz iz name agin? Somethin' like…"

In a flash my gun was at his head. "Go ahead. Say what I think ya were gonna say. I dare ya."

It wasn't loaded, but he didn't know that. And if he did have the nerve to follow through, I would have no problem pistol-whipping him into submission.

The bot seemed to sober up a bit. "Naw, man…I wasn't gonna say nothin'."

"Didn't think so. Now lemme tell YOU somethin'. The only reason ya can sit here and get drunk off your stabilizers is 'cause Dinobot died for you. Twice! Anybody who bad-mouths him badmouths me. And I don't appreciate that one bit." I pushed my gun closer for emphasis. "Get it?"

He nodded.

"Good," I said as I put my gun away. "Now run along and play. The adults are trying to have a conversation here."

He walked away pretty fast. That was when I noticed the silence.

"What?!"

Everyone quickly went back to what they were doing before the excitement. I turns back to Boozy.

Boozy blinked. "Wow. Guess I was right."

I shrugged. "Yeahhh…I guess so."

"He's gone. Being angry or angsty won't change that."

"I know…But still, it's just not right, ya know? He was just as big a hero as the rest of us, and we survived. No, scratch that. He was even better."

"But all the same, he's gone," Boozy said as he poured another drink. "And you're still alive."

I slammed down my drink onto the bar counter. "So what do you expect me to do?! Just forget that Lizard Lips died right in front of me?!"

"No. I expect you to be Ratrap, not Nuts McCrazyBolts."

I looked down at my drink. "I'm…Not sure if I can."

"Oh, come on!" Boozy threw up his hands. "Is this really what Dinobot would have wanted?"

"Eh…Probly not." I chuckled. "If he could see me, he'd tell me to get off my fuzzy behind and not shrink in the face of a challenge, or some slag like that."

"Then, why don't you?"

"Eh?"

"Well, I know I'd be pissed if I were him. I sure wouldn't want to die just so that my friend could drink himself to death," Boozy explained as he cleaned a glass. "I'd want him to get his bearings in gear and start living for the both of us. You know, to honor my memory and all that."

My optics widened. "Holey swiss cheese. You might have somethin' there. Chopper-Face died so we could live, and here I am wastin' what he gave us. Boy, am I a moron! Must've been all that time I've spent with Spots and Bird-dog. Well, not anymore! Chopper-Face, by the time I'm through, you're actually gonna be proud of me! Heh!"

I took a swig of my drink and stood up. "Thanks, Boozy. Now if you'll excuse me, this little mouse has a honey to woo."

I walked over to the other side of the bar where the femmebot from before was now seated. "Hey, toots. Still in the mood for that drink?"

* * *

Optimus Primal

The Maximal High Council wanted me to help train new recruits in the army and police. I couldn't believe it. I may have succeeded in the mission, but the number of casualties was excessive. Tigatron. Airazor. Dinobot. Depth Charge. The protoforms Megatron corrupted. After all that, they wanted me to train the next generation?

I told them I would think about it. But what I didn't tell them was that I wouldn't be thinking about whether or not to take the job, but rather what excuse to use to turn it down.

In the meantime, I was at the Great Wall Monument. It was a large black wall almost a mile long listing the names of all those killed in the Great War.

"Figured I'd find you here," came a voice from behind me.

"Rhinox…What are you doing here?"

He walked up beside me. "I wanted to tell you…I've accepted an engineering job on Earth. Seems the bots there right now don't know a thing about sensor arrays."

"That's great, Rhinox. But you didn't have to tell me in person."

"Maybe not. But I still needed to come cheer you up."

I sighed. "That obvious, huh?"

He nodded. "Yup."

"Look, Rhinox, I know you mean well, but I already know everything you're going to say. You're going to tell me that their deaths weren't my fault; that there's nothing I could have done."

"Optimus, do you remember what you said when Ratrap disobeyed you?"

"Yes. I told him I would never give an order I wouldn't follow myself. However, I don't see how that's-"

"You've stuck by that, Optimus," Rhinox pointed at me as he spoke. "Not once have you ever given us a bad order. We knew when we started that some of us might not make it out alive. We knew it, and we fought anyway. You did everything you could to protect us, and then some. No one in the Beast Wars died because of an order you gave. They died because they decided, on their own, that the saving of countless lives was worth the risk of dying. Every one of us would be willing to die to save the life of another. We didn't start out that way. YOU made us that way, Optimus. You taught us how to be heroes. That's not something you should be ashamed of."

Heroes?

"If that's the result of my example, then…"

"Optimus, THEY chose their fates. THEY decided that their lives were worth all the lives that would come after. They made their choices. They chose to do the right thing."

"And died doing the right thing."

"And yet, they are not forgotten." Rhinox pointed to the wall. "Every name on this wall is cherished, because every person on Cybertron owes their existence to them. Those people died so that everyone else could live. Just as our friends did. Their lives were not wasted, Optimus, so long as we don't waste the life they gave us."

I stared at the wall. The black surface was so well-polished that I could see my reflection in it. But now, all I saw was the city behind me, and the planet that my friends had saved.

"You're right, Rhinox," I admitted. "They may be gone, but they died as heroes. And their legacy lives on."

Rhinox nodded. "They're in a better place now."

"And someday, old friend, we'll join them. Until then, we've got a universe to look after."

"And you've got a job to get ready for," Rhinox noted.

"Now, how would you know about that, Rhinox?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Common knowledge, I guess. Everyone's expecting you to take it."

"Guess I'd better not disappoint them, then," I chuckled for a moment before becoming serious again. "Rhinox, thank you."

"Anytime, Optimus. I seem to be the group's problem-solver, today. Anyway, I've got to get to a briefing. I'll be sure to keep in touch."

"You'd better. I'm still your commanding officer, after all."

We laughed. And I was reminded again of exactly why we had been fighting so hard for so long.

* * *

Blackarachnia

I didn't think Silverbolt would be hard to find. After all, there were only so many places near the base we were still living at that he would ever want to go to.

However, after checking all of them, it occurred to me that a spider's definition of "close by" might differ from that of a flying wolf.

Hours passed before I found him, and then only because I noticed a large crowd gathered outside an art gallery.

I tried to push my way through the crowd, but there were just too many people. It was like a wall.

I sighed. The things I did for love…

With a single leap, I was on the wall above the open doors. One quick transformation later, I was bypassing the crowds by walking along the ceiling. Then I saw him. He was trying to enjoy the various sculptures, but the femmebots constantly asking him questions seemed to have other ideas.

"Silverbolt, are you currently seeing anyone?"

Oh, that was it.

"Blackarachnia, maximize!"

I dropped down next to the femmebot in question and elbowed her out of the way.

"Back off, sister, he's taken!"

As if to prove it, I grabbed my astonished lover and kissed him, right there in front of all of them. This little development would definitely make the tabloids.

"I…Thought you wanted to keep things private?" Silverbolt asked when I finally pulled away.

"I changed my mind. Silverbolt, you were right. It shouldn't matter what other people."

"Well, even so, could we continue this conversation…Elsewhere?" Silverbolt asked, his optics flitting in the direction of the crowd.

"Good idea. Let's go, Rover."

A few glares from me parted the crowd, and we quickly left the gallery behind.

"So, what brought on this change?" he asked.

"I realized that hiding our relationship is just not worth the trouble," My hands went to his chest as I spoke. "Nothing is worth suppressing what we have. I'm sorry for not seeing that earlier."

His arms went around me. "It's all right. After all, there is some wisdom to be had in not feeding the scavengers."

Well, it was now or never.

"Wait, Silverbolt. There's one more thing."

"Yes, my love?"

I fidgeted uncomfortably. I have no idea why.

"I realized that there's something I've never told you that I should said a long time ago. Silverbolt, I love you."

He hugged me tighter. "You didn't have to say anything. I already knew."

"No, but I wanted to," I replied. "You deserved to hear it."

He kissed me then, and all seemed right with the universe.

* * *

Silverbolt

It had been almost six gigacycles since our return to Cybertron. Cheetor was now a respected member of the Cybertronian Police Force who was always willing to make a public appearance for the children. Rhinox had been on Earth until a few orbital cycles ago, optimizing and improving every technical system he could get his hands on. Optimus had kept himself busy training the next generation of Cybertron's soldiers. From what I'd heard, they were turning out to be very competent.

At first, the tabloids and paparazzi were all over the public admission of the relationship between Blackarachnia and I, as we expected. However, the novelty wore off much more quickly than either of us could have ever predicted. Ratrap's nightly escapades with drinking and femmebots may have had something to do with that. There was still the occasional story about us, but it was nothing we couldn't deal with.

They were also a common source of amusement for the others.

"Hey, get a load'a this one!" Ratrap exclaimed, holding up the holofile in his hands. " 'Secret love child of Silverbolt and mystery mistress.' I never would'a pegged ya for the type, bird-dog."

"Whoa, Silverbolt. You holdin' out of us?" Cheetor teased.

"I have done no such thing," I stated firmly.

"That's not what it says here," Rhinox remarked, reading an identical holofile.

I shot him a glance that said "you too?"

"Surely you don't believe this preposterous tripe?" I asked him incredulously.

Rhinox shook his head. "No. But I have to admit, it makes for an interesting read."

"Oh, leave him alone, guys," Blackarachnia said. "It's getting old."

"Oh?" Cheetor said deviously. "You're one to talk, Ms Secretly-Dating-A-Big-Time-Actor."

"Hoo-hoo! Burned!" Ratrap laughed.

I stood. "That's a lie and you know it."

Cheetor leaned back slightly and put up his hands in defense. "Ok, ok. I'm sorry."

Ratrap snickered a bit, but I put a stop to that with a glare. My beloved smiled in approval.

"Knock it off, Maximals," Optimus said. "We're here."

The doors of the transport opened, and we filed out to view our new ship: the Axalon II. It was a beautiful ship, resembling the original Axalon while being sleeker and newer. We could practically see our reflections in its hull.

"Finally!" Ratrap cried in exasperation and glee. "It's about time we got a decent spaceship."

Cheetor chuckled. "All we had to do was save the universe."

I smiled. We'd been sure to keep in contact over the last few gigacycles. When it was announced last gigacycle that a new space exploration mission was planned, the decision was unanimous.

The other members of the crew had already arrived, and were waiting for us. One of them, a formal-looking bot, stepped forward.

"Commander Primal," he said. "My name is Widget. It is an honor to have you and your team aboard, sir."

Optimus rolled his eyes. He had quickly grown tired of the special treatment we all received for what we had done. "Just call me Optimus. We're not celebrities; we're just ordinary explorers like everyone else on this ship."

"Eh, speak for yourself," Ratrap muttered.

"Ratrap, quiet," Optimus ordered. "How are we doing with the launch status?"

"Everyone and everything is accounted for, sir," the overzealous Widget replied. "We are ready to launch."

"Ok, then, let's get everyone aboard and do so. And I told you, call me Optimus."

"Yes, sir, Optimus sir!"

All of us except Optimus laughed. This would no doubt be a source of constant entertainment on our journey.

As we began boarding the ship, I took one last look at Cybertron. It be would a long journey before we could return home, but I had faith in us. Together, we had been to the inferno and back. We had faced challenges both great and small. And just as we had done before, we would once again overcome.


End file.
